Paper-finishing machine



H. P. HOWE.

PAPER FINISHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED IAY 18. 1918.

1,371,372. Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

2 Zia rizeys H. P. HOWE.

PAPER FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY l8, l9l8.

1,371,372. Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

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H. P. HOWE.

PAPER FINISHING MACHINE;

APPLICATION FILED MAYIB, 1918.

Patented Mar. 15; 1921.

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Flllll |||||1||1 I H. P. HOWE.

PAPER FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION min Imus. 191a.

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PAPER FINISHING MACHINE.- urucmou FILED HAY-l8, ma.

1,371,372. Patented liar-15,1921.

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HENRY P. HOWE, OF STEEP FALLS, MAINE, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

EASTERN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPO- RATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

PAPER-FINISHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY P. Hows, a citizen of the United States, residing at Steep Falls, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented new and useful Improvements in Paper- F1n1sh1n g Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for simultaneously imparting a linen finish to both sides of a sheet of paper, and it has for its object to provide certain improvements on the machine shown and described in my Patent No. 1,27 8,659, dated September 10,, 1918. Like the machine shown in said patent, a machine embodying the present 1nvention is provided with two cloth-surfaced plates or plating members, whlch are pressed into tangential contact and are oscillated about different axes, so that a sheet of paper fed into their grip will be progressively pressed from edge to edge and the rough surfaces of the cloth will be forced 1nto both faces of the sheet to give the desired linen finish. Instead of employing rolls" bearing against said plating members and separate guides for said members, the present machine is formed with segmental carriers on which the plating members are supported and by which they are oscillated and guided about their respective axes of movement.

In imparting the proper finish to both faces of a single sheet, it is necessary, for se curing the necessary polish on the paper, to permit a slippage between the paper and the engaging fabrics, and this is accomplished V by forming the plating members of materials which have different coefiicients of rigidity or resistance to pressure, so that, along their progressing tangential line of contact, the more rigid plate causes a concavity in the coacting plate, and a bending of the fabric and the interposed sheet of paper. This results in a slip between the paper and the fabric to an almost infinitesimal extent, but which however is necessary to secure the polish or gloss over the entire surface of the paper inclusive of its projections and depressions caused by the partial embedment of the fabric in the paper. It is evident that any two suitable materials may be selected for the formation of the platino elements, such for example as steel and zinc Instead of securing the sheets of textile material to the plating elements, as in the machlne of my previous patent, they are in the present case connected with the oscillatory segments or carriers for the plating elements, and provision is made for taking up the slack which is caused by the stretching of the fabric which results from its continued use and subjection to pressure.

On the accompanying drawing,-

Elgure 1 represents in side or end elevavation a linen-finishing or plating machine embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a front elevation of the same.

F g. 3 represents an end elevation, the plating elements and their carriers, and the adjacent paper-feeding mechanism.

Fig. 4 represents a view of the same mechanlsm with the carriers at the end of their movement in one direction.

Fig. 5 represents a portion of one of. the gairiers and illustrates a take-up roll for the same.

Fig. 6 represents a section through the carriers, and the adjustable crank which 7 forms a portion thereof.

It will be understood, of course, that the machine is illustrated more or less conventionally for the purpose of making clear the principle-upon which it operates, that the proportions of the parts greatly varied, and that their arrangement may be such as to effect the purposes desired. Any suitable frame-work may be employed, but, for the purposes of illustration, I have shown the machine as provided with two upright end standards 10, 11, having vertical guideways for the reception of the bearing blocks 12, 13, in which the hollow shafts 14 and 15 are journaled. These shafts support the two oscillatory carriers to be de scribed. The upper boxes or blocks 13 are capable of vertical adjustment by screws 16, threaded through caps 17 at the upper ends of the standards or frames, and provided with hand wheels as shown may be 18. Any other suitable mechanism may be utilized for securing a vertical adjustment of the bearing boxes 13. The boxes 12 rest firmly upon the .lower, ends of the guideways in the end frame.

The two oscillatory carriers are indicated at 19 and 20. Each consists of a segment having a rigid unyielding rim portion 21 and as many spokes 22 as may be needed which are joined to a hub 23. Bolted to the ends of the two rims are the two semi-cylindrical toothed segments 2&1, the teeth of which are preferably conjugate to prevent .lost motion. By oscillating one of the carriers, the other is caused to oscillate in synchronism therewith and at the same peripheral speed. Any suitable mechanism may be employed for causing the oscillation of the coasting carriers, but for the purpose I prefer, 011 account of its simplicity, to utilize a drive shaft 25 which is journaled in a bracket 26 extending forwardly from the end of the frame 10. This drive shaft' is equipped at one end with a belt wheel 27 by which it may be continuously rotated, and at its other end with a disk 28 provided with a crank pin 29. This pin projects outwardly from a slide 30 arranged in an undercut groove 31 extending across the face of the disk and adapted to be adjusted toward and from the center of the disk by a. screw 32. The screw is held against axial movement in a plate 33 bolted to a flattened portion of the periphery of the disk, and the head 3 1 of the screw is angular to enable it to be turned by a wrench or other suitable instrument. A connecting rod or pitman '35 is connected at one end to the crank pin 29 which is provided with a bearing sleeve 36 andendwashers 37 38. With convenience, the end of the pin 29 may be threaded to receive a nut 40 which clamps the washers 37 and 38 firmly against the sleeve 36. The other end of the pitman or connecting rod is yieldingly connected with an elongated toothed segment 11, the hub 42 of which is hung rotatably upon the shaft 15 near one end thereof. The toothed portion 43 of the segment intermeshes with a toothed segment 14 rigidly secured by a pin 15 to the shaft 1 1 as shown in Fig. 4. To secure the yielding connection between the pitman 35 and the power-transmitting segment e1, the latter is provided with a transverse guideway 47 in which is yielding-1y mounted a bearing box or block 48 in which is journaled the stud 49 located in the end of the pitman 35.

The inner end of the pitman may be yokeshaped or bifurcated to provide two arms in which the ends of the stud 19 may be journaled. The upper end of the guideway at? is. closed by a plate 50 which is secured by bolts 51 to the side of the oscillatory segment 41. On both sides of the bearing blocks e18, there are compression springs 52,

vspectively at 53, 153.

52, which bear at their outer ends against the ends of the guideway. By reason of this construction, the segment 41 may be yieldingly operated tocause the oscillation of the two segmental carriers on which the plating members are supported. The two oscillatory plate carriers are similar in con- 7 struction so that only one of them need be described. The solid rim portion of the carr er constitutes a curved bed concentric wlth the axis of its oscillation, so as to receive and 7 thebed. To allow a limited longitudinal moi 'ement of the plates but to hold them against transversemovement, each end of each of the plates'is provided with longitudinal slots 56 to receive pins 57 inserted in the beds. The slots are'long enough to permit a certain amount of stretching of the softer plate 153 with the continued operation of the machine. Over each plate there is stretched a sheet 58 of linen or other suitable material which it is desired to impress in the surface of the paper. The end of each bed is provided with arms 59 to which are secured guides 60 having guideways for boxes'fil. In the boxes at each end of each of the carriers, there is journaled a shaft 62 provided with a roll 63 over which the end portion of the sheet 58 is passed. The extremities of the sheets are secured between clamping bars 6%, 65. These rolls 63 take up the slack in thefabrics, there being springs 66 located in the guideways and bearing against boxes 61. Each spring is seated in a cup-like slide 67 in the guideway afforded by the guide 60, and may be adjusted by a screw 68 to increase the pressure of the spring. The upper osclllatory carrier is carefully adjusted to bring the two plating members and their respective fabrics into firm tangential contact, the pressure being sutfieient to cause the more rigid plating element to form a minute concave depression in the more yielding plate where they make contact. When the main drive shaft is set in rotation, the crank disk and pitman cause the oscillation of the gear segments 41 and 44, and effect the synchronous oscillation of the oscillatory carriers for the plating members. 1 Assuming that these members are in the position shown in Fig. 4, a sheet of paper of the proper temper is fed between them until its edge is in position tobe gripped by the plating members. Then, as the carriers are oscillated to the left, the sheet of paper is drawn with them apd is subjected to pressure progressively from end to end and is delivered by the plating members when the latter have reached the limit of their movement toward the left. When the plating members are in this position, a sheet of paper may now be fed from the rear side of the machine to them, and it will be carried f0r wardly and delivered at the front end of the machine. As each sheet of paper passes between the plating members, the sheets of textile material are simultaneously embedded in the opposite faces thereof, and, because of the slip to which I have previously referred, the faces of the paper are not only indented, but are given a gloss or polish.

Any suitable feeding mechanisms may be employed at the front and the rear of the machine for alternately feeding paper to the plating members. I have shown for this purpose two feeding belts 70, 70, which travel continuously in the direction of the arrows, and with which there are employed stop fingers 71 secured to shafts 72, 72. Each of these shafts is provided with a lever 73 which may be engaged by a stud 74 on the lower oscillatory carrier. This stud engages first one of the levers to permit the feeding of the sheet from the front of the machine, and, when the sheet has been fed through, engages the other lever to permit a sheet to be fed by the other feeding belt. The stop fingers 71 are normally in operative position to prevent the feeding of the sheets except when the associated lever 73 is momentarily lifted as the oscillatory carriers approach one end of their movement, then dwell and then start in the opposite direction.

Any suitable stripping mechanism may be employed for the finished paper, but, as such a mechanism is fully described in my said patent, it need not be explained here again. It is sufficient to state that blasts of air are delivered from nozzles 80 to lift the advancing edge of the sheet from the bed of the carrier and cause it to slide over guides 81 to a box or receptacle S2.

Ordinarily two operators would be employed in connection with. the machine, one placing paper on the conveyer in the rear and the other on the conveyer at the front of the machine, so that. with each stroke of the plating elements. a sheet of paper is carried by them and delivered to the receptacle on the other side of the machine. Of course in slack times, the machine may be attended by but one operator who feeds the sheets of paper from only one side of the machine.

As illustrated, the oscillatory carriers are capable of movement through an arc of 96.

but of course they be made in different sizes so as to be capable of movement through an arc of much greater length. The

extent of movement may also be varied by adjusting the crank 29 radially of the crank disk 28.

In the present machine, the oscillatory carriers serve not only to effect the oscillation of the plating members but also to afford the rigid backing which is necessary to force them with great pressure one against the other, and to serve as guides to guide the plates in their oscillatory movements. As the plates move in the direction of their length, their forward ends separate to permit the discharge of the paper between them as has been explained.

lV hen a sheet of textile material has become worn or has been torn, it may be easily removed by taking off the clamping bars and replacing it with a new sheet.

The pressure necessary to secure the best results is heavy, say, approximately 8 to 10 tons per square inch, and consequently the arcuate beds must be stiff and rigid, and thick enough to resist the pressure without yielding. As the plates and the fabrics or markers are oscillated in rolling contact with the interposed sheet of paper, the embedment of the markers in both faces of the paper progresses from end to end thereof, and the imprint due to the weave of the marker is distinct and clear-cut. But since one of the plates is formed of unyielding material and the other is formed of relativcly yielding material, there is at the nip of the rolls a slip of the paper and markers which results in imparting that gloss or polish on thepaper (uniform on both the pr 'ections and depressions) w iich is a characteristic of high grade writing paper. I am aware that Mr. Henry J. Guild has heretofore constructed the rolls of a paperinishing machine of materials which are relatively yielding and non-yielding (see Guild Patent No. 1,277,714, dated September 8, 1,918), andv I do not claim this feature as my invention or discovery, but, so far as I aware, I am the first to propose the use with two rigid unyielding beds arranged in rolling relation. of separate plates or plating lements, which, though capable of withnding the necessary great pressure at their tangential contact, are relatively yield ing and non-yielding to permit the formation of a progressing cavity in one of the elements at the nip of the elements and thereby to secure the slip and the resultant polish on the paper.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and described a way of making and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of its use, what I claim is:

1. A machine for surface finishing both Sides of a sheet of paper, comprising opposing rigid segmental beds, curved plates carriedby said bedsand pressed together in tangential rolling relation thereby, and gielans for automatically oscillating said ec s.

2. A machine for surface finishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising oppossheets covering the operative convexfaces.

of said plates and pressed into both sides of a sheet of paper gripped betwee them, and means for automatically oscillati said beds.

4. A machine for surface finishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising opposing rigidsegmental beds, curved plates carriedby said beds and pressed together in tangential rolling relation thereby, fabric sheets covering the operative convex faces of said plates and pressed into both sides of a sheet of paper gripped between them, and means for automatically oscillating said beds, said plates being formed of materials having different coefficients of pressure-resistance respectively, whereby a slippage between the fabrics and the sheet is permitted resulting in a polish on the surface of said sheet. 7

5. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting segmental opposing beds or pressure members, plates supported by said beds and curved to rest against said 'beds, fabric sheets attached to said beds and covering the operative faces of said plates, 7

and means for automatically oscillating said beds.

6. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising opposing plates each curved in the direction of its length, curved rigid beds for sustaining said plates from end to end and pressing said plates together in tangential contact, marking elements covering the operative faces of. said plates, and mechanism for effecting a back and forth rolling pressure of said plates against a sheet of paper placed between them.

7. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting opposing curved plates, beds sustaining said plates and concentric therewith, fabric sheets covering said plates and attached at their ends to the ends of the beds, and automatic mechanism for synchronously oscillating said beds thereby to compress a sheet of paper progressively from end to end and embed the said fabric sheets into the opposite facial portions thereof.

8. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting opposing curved plates, beds sustaining said plates and concentric therewith, fabric sheets covering said plates and attached at their ends to the ends of the beds, intermeshing gear segments on said beds, and mechanism for automatically oscillating said beds.

9. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting opposing curved plates, beds sustaining said plates and concentric therewith, fabric sheets covering said plates and attached at their ends to the ends of the beds, parallel shafts on which said beds are respectively fixed, intermeshing gear segments on said beds respectively, and mechanism for automatically oscillating said beds. 7

10. A machine for surface finishing paper,

comprising coacting opposing curved plates,

beds sustaining said plates and concentric therewith, fabric sheets covering said plates and attached at their ends to the ends of the beds, parallel shafts on which said beds are respectively fixed, intermeshing gear segments on said beds respectively, a gear segment of relatively short radius afiiXed to one of said shafts, a gear segment of relatively long radius mounted loosely on the other shaft, and means for imparting an oscillatory movement to the last-mentioned gear segment 11. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting opposing curved plates, beds sustaining said plates and concentric therewith, clamps located at the ends of said beds, fabrics covering said plates and having their ends secured by said clamps, and a spring-tensioned roll on each bed engaging thefabric thereon between its ends.

12. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting opposing curved plates, beds sustaining said plates and concentric therewith, clamps located at the ends of said beds, fabrics covering said plates and having their ends secured by said clamps,

and a spring-tensioned roll at each end of each bed, each pair of rolls on each bed engaging the fabric thereon between its ends.

13. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting opposing curved plates, beds sustaining said plates and concentric therewith, clamps located at the ends of said beds, fabrics covering said plates and having their ends secured by said clamps, and

mechanism on'each end for taking up slack in the fabric thereon.

14. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising opposing arcuate beds, mechanism for automatically oscillating said beds in rolling relation, curved plates removably located on and carried by said beds, and means for slidably attaching the ends of said plates to said beds.

15. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising opposing arcuate beds, mechanism for automatically oscillating said beds in rolling relation, curved plates on said beds provided with longitudinal slots, and pins on the beds operatively engaging said slots in the plates.

16. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising opposing arcuate beds, curved plates on said beds, and yielding mechanism for automatically oscillating said beds and plates in rolling relation.

17. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising opposing arcuate beds, mecha nism for automatically oscillating said beds in rolling relation, curved plates on said beds, and bars on said beds overlying the ends of the plates.

18. A machine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting opposing curved plates, beds sustaining said plates and concentric therewith, fabric sheets covering said plates and attached at their ends to the ends of the beds. automatic mechanism synchrc nously oscillating said beds thereby to conipress a sheet of paper progressively from end to end and embed the said fabric sheets into the opposite facial portions thereof, and mechanism on opposite sides of the machine for feeding sheets of paper in alternation to said beds and plates.

19. Amachine for surface finishing paper, comprising coacting segmental opposing beds or pressure members, plates supported by said beds and curved to rest against said beds, fabric sheets attached to said beds and covering the operative faces of said plates, means for automatically oscillating said beds, and mechanism on opposite sides of the machine for feeding paper in alternation to said beds and plates.

20. A machine for surface finishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising opposing rigid segmental beds, curved plates carried by said beds and pressed together in tangential rolling relation thereby, means for automatically oscillating said beds, and mechanism on opposite sides of the machine for feeding paper in alternation to said beds and plates.

21. A machine for surface finishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising opposing rigid segmental beds, curved plates carried by said beds and pressed together in tangential rolling relation thereby, fabric sheets covering the operative convex faces of said plates and pressed into both sides of a sheet of paper gripped between them, means for automatically oscillating said beds, and mechanism on opposite sides of the machine for feeding paper in alternation to said beds and plates.

22. A machine for surface finishing both sides of a sheet of paper, comprising OPPOS- ing rigid segmental beds, curved plates car ried by said beds and pressed together in tangential rolling relation thereby, fabric sheets covering the operative convex faces of said plates and pressed into both sides of a sheet of paper gripped between them. means for automatically oscillating said beds, said plates being formed of materials having different coeflicients of pressure-resistance respectively, whereby a slippage beveen the fabrics and the sheet is permitted resulting in a polish on the surface of said sheet, and mechanism on opposite sides of the machine for feeding paper in alternation to said beds and plates.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

Y HENRY P. HOWE, 

